Evening With Diplomats at Gateway's Heliport Gallery

In conjunction with Convergences Please join us March 15, Thursday, 6:30-8:30 pm at Gateway's Heliport Gallery: 8001 Kennett St. Suite 3

State department officers and their spouses who have served in and thought about the Middle East over the past 50 years will hold a panel discussion about their time in the region. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions about how diplomatic initiatives can support an agenda of peace…

RSVPs are encouraged, but not required, to David Fogel : david@gatewaycdc.com or 301.562.1400

Panelists:

Lora Berg:

Ms. Berg holds a double masters degree from Johns Hopkins University in international relations and poetry, and has specialized in cultural diplomacy. Lora is currently on sabbatical under the auspices of the Una Chapman Cox Foundation to join her husband Karim Chaibi in exploring convergences in Muslim and Jewish culture.

Kenneth Audroue:

Mr. Audroue is a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer with experience throughout the Middle East, from North Africa to the Gulf. He has recently taught Middle Eastern Area Studies. In addition, he has continued to study and research classical antiquity, comparative literature and languages, from an earlier academic career.

Maria Petringa :

Born in Boston, a graduate of Harvard and the Sorbonne Nouvelle, Ms. Petringa has spent her adult life in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East as a diplomatic spouse. She has worked as a teacher and translator, and is now a writer and journalist. She is the author of the new biography, Brazza, A Life for Africa, and writes art reviews for the Arab News.

Moderator:

Rev. Dr. Louisa Davis is the Convenor/Coordinator of Greater Washington Allies in Reconciliation, a new interfaith antiracism alliance committed

to "building a just and inclusive greater Washington in our lifetimes" based on the common religious values of compassion, justice, peace and human solidarity. She has a PhD in Religious Studies (UVA) and has taught religion and philosophy courses at Montgomery College for the last five years while also a United Church of Christ clergywomen with strong Quaker roots and over twenty years of experience in community activism on behalf of youth, the homeless, peace and racial justice in this area. She is a resident of Silver Spring and member of Eastern Village Cohousing.